Powerful new flu may hit New Zealanders

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34099, 11 March 1976, Page 2

Powerful new flu may hit New Zealanders

Z. Press Association f

HAMILTON. March 10. New Zealand could be facing its worst influenza epidemic this winter since the contagious Hong Kong virus swept the country abount nine years ago. Medical authorities said today that New Zealanders would be more vulnerable to influenza because it contained a new strain — Victoria A 375 — which affected thousands during the last Northern Hemisphere winter. The national manager of a pharmaceutical company’s medical division (Mr A. E. Timms) said from Auckland today there were indications from overseas experts that the pending outbreak could be as severe as the 1967 Hong Kong epidemic. The Victoria A strain, which Is expected to take a hold in New Zealand in May or June, has already been isolated in Wellington.

Mr Timms said his company was importing 200,000 doses of vaccine from Melbourne, where health authorities were expecting a severe influenza attack this year. The Commonwealth Serum laboratories in Melbourne were working seven days a week at present to produce a vacci • capable of combating the Victoria A strain. "The Victoria A is a pretty virulent strain. When people get it they are off sick for two or three days. “Because it is a new strain, people will not have any of the immunity that they built up during the

last couple of years for the Port Chalmers' virus.’’ Mr Timms said the first large shipments of the vaccine were expected to arrive in New Zealand early next month. A Health Department disease control officer, Dr 1. S. Wilson, said mild cases of the new Victoria A virus had been detected in Wellington two weeks ago.

The new strain would make people more vulner-

able to influenza, but it was impossible to predict the severity of any outbreak. The cases of influenza were expected to become more severe in the winter. The department would recommend that vaccinations begin early in May, to provide maximum protection in this period. Vaccination would be recommended particularly

for people suffering from heart or respiratory complaints. There had been an outbreak of influenza last year, but the Scotland A virus, which affected the Northern Hemisphere at the time, did not reach New Zealand.

Influenza has killed 1942 people in New Zealand since 1950. A total of 331 died from the virus between 1970 and 1973.